Early Naturalizations
Prior to September 27, 1906, an immigrant who wished to naturalize could do so in any court in any jurisdiction. The process could start in one court and complete it another, even in a state hundreds of miles away. This makes finding early naturalization records challenging. The naturalization process changed over time. In 1790, the first Naturalization Law required an individual to be a resident of the United States for two years and at least one year in the state where the naturalization took place. The law changed in 1795 to require a Declaration of Intention three years before the naturalization and that the individual needed to be a resident of the United States for at least five years and a resident of their state for at least one year. In 1898 the law was changed to require fourteen years residency before naturalization. In 1802 congress changed the requirement back to five years. A law in 1804 permitted naturalization of aliens residing in the United States between 1798 and 1802 to naturalize without a declaration. Another law permitted aliens who served in the union army during the Civil War to obtain citizenship with only one year of residence and without a declaration. The law changed again in 1906. The new version required the naturalization process to be executed in the Federal Courts rather than the state courts. History and Genealogy has an every name index to these post 1906 naturalizations.
Married women did not naturalize independently of their husbands until after the 19th amendment. If he was a citizen, she was a citizen. If he was an alien, she was an alien. If he naturalized, she and their minor children were naturalized too. African Americans were blocked from citizenship by birth or naturalization until after the civil war and the passage of the 14th amendment. Chinese and by extension other Asians were prohibited from naturalizing by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. In some cases, Chinese Americans had their previous naturalizations annulled. The law was to last for ten years, but was not fully repealed until 1965.
To facilitate research in these records, both the Missouri State Archives and the St. Louis Genealogical Society maintain online every name indexes to these records. This finding aid can be used to take the information from either of these indexes to learn the FamilySearch DGS # and the History & Genealogy film number.
More Information
Newman, John J., American Naturalization Processes and Procedures, 1790-1985. Indianapolis: Family History Section, Indiana Historical Society, 1985. Call no. R 323.6 N553A and 323.6 N553A
Newman, John J., American Naturalization Records, 1790-1990: What They Are and How to Use Them. Bountiful, Utah: Heritage Quest, 1998. Call no. 929.1 N553A